Improvement in fare-boxes for cars



BENJAMIN F. GRIMES.

Improvement in Fare Boxes for Cars.

' P'a'te'nted Sep. 12,1871.

BENJAMIN F. GRIMES. Improvement in Fare Boxes for Cars.

P atented Sep. 12,1 871.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN FARE-BOXES FOR CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 118,927, dated September 12, 1871.

' appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making partof this specification, and to the letters and figures marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in, First, providing a fare-box for street-cars with a cash box or receptacle for the money and tickets deposited by passengers, so constructed that it may be securely locked in place in the fare-box and cannot be removed without lockin g the lid also,

in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the locks and their connections by which these results are accomplished; also, providing an additional lock for the better security of the lock which fastens the lid of the cash-box. Second, the peculiar construction and arrangement of a series of cut-offs and their connections by which each fare deposited in the fare-box is transferred to the cash-box before another fare can be de posited, and by which the extraction of the fare is prevented. Third, providing the fare-box with a detachable-lamp receptacle, which can be readily removed and replaced at pleasure without marringthe appearance of the farebox. Fourth, providing the fare-box with a register, by which the number of fares in the cash-box can be ascertained without removing the box.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front view of my improved fare-box. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view, showingthe register. Fig. 4 is another side view, showing the mechanism by which the register and cut-offs are operated. Fig. 5 is a central vertical section taken in the line .90 00, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rear end of the cash-box, showing the security-lock. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the cash-box, showing a lever connection between the lid and the front lock or look which secures the cash-box in the fare-box. Fig. 8 is a view of a portion of the inside of the rear lock or look by which the lid is fastened on the withdrawal of the cash-box from the fare-box. Fig. 9 is a detached view of the lid of the cash-box, showing the lid provided with a weight for holding it open instead of a spring, and the lever connection with the front lock.

The fare-box A is made of metal, either cast or sheet metal, as may be preferred. The upper portion is formed witha semi-cylindrical projection, a, shown clearly in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. The front of the box or the portion toward the inside of the car is provided with a glass, 00 through which the person depositing the fare is enabled to see it before it is transferred to the cash-box. The rear of the box is formed with a projecting portion corresponding with a suitable opening in the partition in the front end of the car, and is also proy ided with a glass, a through which the driver is enabled to see the fare when it is deposited. The side of the box to which the lampreceptacle is attached is also provided with a glass, 01?, through which the light from the lamp enters at night and illuminates the inside of the fare-box only. At the bottom of the fare-box is placed the cash-box B, which is about one-fourth the dimensions of the fare-box, more or less, and is made preferably of metal. The lid 0 is pivoted near the front to the sides, so as to allow it to stand in a nearly vertical position, as hereinafter described. At the rear end of the lid is a catch, 0, which engages with a spring-lock at the rear end of the cash-box. On the under side of the lid, near the rear end, is a spring, 0 At the front end of the cash-box is an ordinary tumbler lock. Pivoted to the inside of the front end of the box is an elbow-lever, D, one end of which is connected to the inner end of the bolt d ofthe tumbler lock aforesaid, and the other end is connected to the front end of the lid 0, so that the act of locking the cash-box causes the lid to assume a nearly vertical position, and the act of unlocking the cash-box causes the lid to assume a horizontal position or nearly so. The springlock at the rear end of the casli-box resembles those ordinarily used for trunks-the bolt or lookin g device E consisting of a pivoted hook correspondin g in form, at the upper end, with the catch 0 on the lid, and provided with a spring, which forces it forward when the key is removed. In order to hold back the bolt E, when desired, and prevent its engagement with the catch a, I employ a spring-stud, F, consisting of a strip of elastic metal, the lower end of which is secured to the inside of the lock-plate, and the upper end is bent at a right angle and projects out through .is then removed.

the lock-plate and the rear end of the cash-box,

as shown in Figs. 6 and 8. Near the upper end is a hooked arm, f, projecting toward the bolt E, and having its end beveled, so that when the bolt is forced back by the key it passes by the beveled portion and is caught and held back by the hooked portion (see Fig. 8) until relieved by inward pressure of the stud F.

The operation of the cash-box is as follows: The spring-bolt E is forced back by the key and caught and held by the hooked arm fand the-key The lid C being in a horizontal position the cash-box is placed in the opening in the fare-box. When the rear end of the lid has passed the opening and is fairly inside the fare-box the spring 0 forcesup the lid a sufficient distance to prevent the catch 0 from engaging with the bolt E. As the spring-stud F comes in contact with the rear wall of the farebox it is pressed inward, the arm f is released from contact with the bolt E, and the bolt E is pressed forward by its spring and held in position to engage with the catch 0. The key of the front lock is then turned so as to lock the cashbox, which operation elevates the lid 0 to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5,leaving the cash-box in position to receive the fares deposited in the fare-box. When the cash-box is to be removed the operation of unlocking it depresses the lid 0 as far as the spring 0 will allow, and the operation of withdrawing the cash-box from the opening in the fare-box presses down the lid until the catch 0 engages with the bolt E, so that when the cash-box emerges from the opening the lid is securely locked.

In order to insure still greater security, I employ in larger-sized boxes a door, G, placed at the rear end of the cash-box, as shown in Fig. 6. This door is perforated to allow the spring-stud F to protrude. It is locked by means of a suit able combination lock, so that it can be opened only by the person to whom the combination is known. As the door covers the lock at the rear end of the cashbox, of course any tampering with the lock by improper persons is impossible. In large-sized boxes I dispense with the spring 0 and the elbow-lever D, and instead thereof I form the lid 0 with a weight, K, forward of the fulcrum, as shown in Fig. 9, by which means the lid is elevated. In the center of the semi-cylindrical projection a, at the top of the farebox, is a shaft, h, to which is attached a plate, H, in such a manner as to allow the plate to oscillate in a vertical plane. The plate H fits snugly between the sides of the box, so as to prevent the passage of money or tickets in any other direction than toward the rear of the fare-box. The front end of the plate H is bent upward so as to form an arc of a circle. To the under side of the rear end of the plate H is attached one end of a spiral spring, I, the other end of which is attached to the front wall of the fare-box, and the tendency of which is to keep the plate H inclined in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5. At the lower end of the plate H, on each side, is a pivot, i, which passes through a curved slot in a curved lever, J, the fulcrum of which is located at about the center of the upper half of the farebox, and the upper end projects through a slot in the top of the semi-cylindrical portion a of the fare-box. The levers J (there being one on each side) are connected at their upper ends by a bar, L, to which is attached a knob, I. At the upper end of the plate H, on each side, is a pivot, m, which passes through an eye in the upper end of a connecting-rod or bar, M, there being one rod or bar on each side. At or near the lower edge of the glass 61?, on the inner side of the rear wall of the fare-box, a plate, 0, is pivoted in such a manner as to allow it to incline downward from a horizontal position. Projecting from the edges of the plate 0, near the center, are pivots, p, which pass through eyes in the lower ends of the connecting-bars M. Attached to the inside of the front wall of the fare-box is a gong, R, and just above the gong is a hammer, S, so pivoted that its handle is brought in contact with the front end of the plate 0 when the latter rises to a horizontal position. In the top of the semicylindrical portion a of the fare-box is an aperture, a through which the fare is deposited. When the parts are in the positions shown in full lines in Fig. 5, the slot or aperture m is closed by the curved portion of the plate H, so that nothing can enter the box.

When the knob l is pressed back to deposit a fare, the curved slots in the levers J, engaging with the pivots z, elevate the plate H to a horizontal position, as shown in dotted lines, and at the same time the plate 0 is inclined downward to the position shown in dotted lines by means of the pivots m and p and the rods M. While in this position the fare is deposited on the plate H, and any fare which may have been lying on the plate 0 is transferred to the open cash-box B. After depositing the fare in the slot (4* the knob Z is released, when the plate H inclines downward again, depositing the fare on the now horizontal plate 0, which, on rising to its horizontal position, strikes the hammer S and sounds the gong. By this arrangement and operation of parts there is but one fare at a time in sight on the plate 0, and it is impossible to abstract that or any other portion of the contents of the box by the insertion of a wire or other improper means.

On the outside of the fare-box, near the glass a two lugs are formed or attached afterward, by which the lamp-receptacle is hinged to the box. The lamp-receptacle consists of a metallic box or case, T, provided with a chimney, and made sufficiently large to contain a suitable lamp. W'hen closed the lamp is in such a position as to illuminate the inside of the fare-box, through the glass a without shedding any light on the outside. The lamp-receptacle is readily opened for trimming or lighting :the lamp, and it may be removed altogether during the day, if

desired, without marring the appearance of the fare-box. On the same side of the fare-box with the lamp, or on the opposite side, if desired, I place a passenger-register, by means of which the number of fares in the cash-box can be readily ascertained without removing the box. The shaft j, which forms the fulcrulns of the levers J, extends out on one side so as to protrude through an opening in the side of the box. On this shaft j, inside the box, I place a ratchet, V, and to the pivot i I attach a pawl, Y. On the outer end of the shaft j I place a pointer so as to revolve around a circle of figures arranged on a dial. When the knobl is released, after depositin g a fare, the pawl and ratchet move the pointer a sufficient distance to indicate one fare. If two or more fares are deposited at once and only one fare recorded, the driver repeats the motion of the pawl and ratchet by means of a cord or strap attached to the knob l, or otherwise connected with the levers J. If desired there may be two or more circles of figures on the dial-the outer circle indicating units and the inner one indicat ing hundreds-and two or more pointers, so that when one pointer has made one revolution, registering one hundred fares, the inner pointer will indicate one hundred, while the first or outer pointer performs a second revolution; and when the outer pointer has registered two hundred, the inner pointer will indicate two hundred while the outer pointer performs a third revolution; and so on to any desired extent.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cash-box, provided with a pivoted tilting lid, which stands open to receive the fares when the cash-box is in place in the fare-box, and is forced down and locked by contact with the opening in front of the fare-box when the cashbox is withdrawn, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the lock-bolt d, lever D, and lid 0, substantially as shown and described.

3. A spring-catch for holding back the springbolt of the rear lock, when arranged and operating substantially as shown and described.

4. The lamp-receptacle, consisting of theflat box or case hinged to the fare-box, and held in place by a spring-catch, as herein shown and described.

B. F. GRIMES.

Witnesses:

. E. R. BROWN,

H. LANSING PERRrNE. 

